by Carlene Ingram
Choosing the right style sink and accessories for your bathroom can have a dramatic affect on its overall appearance. Whether you're purchasing a new home or simply remodeling your current bathroom, by following these basic design ideas, you're guaranteed to get the best results for your money.
Consider the Available Space
Before you begin shopping for bathroom sinks and vanities, you'll first need to measure your bathroom area. It makes no sense to select your sink and then later discover it doesn't fit properly. Decide first how much space you can allow for a sink. If you plan on installing a medicine cabinet overhead, you'll need to measure for this too. Be sure to leave enough space between the sink and cabinet, while still having items within reach.
Compare Different Types and Styles of Bathroom Sinks
Children, randomly at first, hit upon something sooner or later that is their mother’s and/or father’s Achilles’ heel, a kind of behavior that especially upsets, offends, irritates or embarrasses them. One parent dislikes name-calling, another teasing...another bathroom jokes. For the parents, this behavior my have ties back to their childhood, many have been something not allowed, forbidden, and when it appears in the child, it causes high-voltage reaction in the parent.
—Ellen Galinsky (20th century)
Today there are many different styles and materials available when it comes to bathroom sinks. Consumers are no longer limited to standard white porcelain as their only option. Marble, glass, stainless steel, copper, chrome, brass, and even wood provide homeowners with a multitude of choices. To learn more about what's available, you may wish to speak with an interior designer or visit your local home improvement store.
An interior designer can also help in selecting items that are within your budget. In addition to a new sink and vanity, you may want to purchase other items such as shower curtains, vanity lighting, rugs, mirrors, or window curtains. All of these items can add up drastically. By having a designer assist you, you won't be tempted to browse products that are out of your price range.
How Much Storage Space Do You Need?
This is the most important point to consider before buying a vanity set. How much cabinet space you have can mean the difference between a well organized or cluttered bathroom. This is especially true in homes where several family members share the same bathroom. By choosing a cabinet that offers ample space for towels, shampoo, toiletries, and other hygiene items, you can avoid having to use the counter top for storage.
Depending on the material, some vanity tops are more likely to become scratched. This is another good reason for purchasing the proper size cabinet. It makes no sense to spend a fortune on a marble or wood counter top only to have it scratched or damaged from daily use. Families with small children may want to consider a more durable type of counter top.
Marriage accustomed one to the good things, so one came to take them for granted, but magnified the bad things, so they came to feel as painful as a grain in one’s eye. An open window, a forgotten quart of milk, a TV set left blaring, socks on the bathroom floor could become occasions for incredible rage. And something happened sexually in marriage—the swearing to forsake all others, despite its slight observance, had a profound effect. Some people felt trapped by it, impelled to assert what they called freedom. Some accepted it like a rein, and in the effort to avoid pain in the form of hopeless desire, cut off occasions of desire, avoided having long talks at parties with attractive members of the opposite sex. In time, all feeling for the opposite sex was cut off, and intercourse limited to the barest politenesses.... But something happened to you when you did that, a kind of death seeped up from the genitals to the rest of the body, till it showed in the eyes, the gestures, in a certain lifelessness.
—Marilyn French (b. 1929)
The Proper Faucet Design Can Add a Nice Finishing Touch
When shopping for bathroom sinks and vanities, customers often have the choice of upgrading to a more stylish high-grade faucet. Once you find a sink and vanity set that meets your needs, don't be discouraged if the faucet design isn't up to par. By spending a little extra, you can get an attractive stylish looking design that's still within your budget. Discount faucets are also available in a wide variety of styles for customers who want a little flair without the high price.
While your bathroom may be the smallest room in your home, it doesn't have to be a drab dreary space. With a little planning beforehand, you can design a functional yet attractive room without breaking the bank.